I crouched down in front of the rock, driving the sharp tip of the crossbow bolt into the turf. This ground had seen battle not long ago. The soil, trampled and dug up, had become loose, and large patches of dried blood had turned into purple-black clumps, mixed into the earth. I also found some parts that had fallen from the creature. Normally, I would be disgusted by even the thought of gutting a chicken or gutting a fish, but now, I had to force myself to suppress my frustration and clear these away one by one.

It took some effort, but drawing on memories from childhood, when I used to play in sandpits, I managed to insert twelve arrows, then compacted the soil with my feet, creating a rudimentary trap. It might not even qualify as a trap to a trained eye, but my opponent was blind, and with limited resources, I had to make do.

At this moment, the creature calmed down again, tilting its head as it listened to the wind, making motions as if it were sniffing the air. It relied once again on its powerful instincts to hunt down its prey.

I could feel the wind shifting.

The creature gradually turned toward Fujioka, whose burnt body was now downwind. From such a distance, she appeared to be nothing more than the shadow of a stone, and I could hardly make out her expression. She remained motionless, or rather, unable to move at all, her body too weak to escape.

I dared not waste time. Grabbing the crossbow, I fired at the creature. Then, I noticed that strange sensation from before. When I shot, there was no need to aim—it was as though the crosshairs had always been embedded inside me, becoming second nature.

The wind, the sway of the shadows, the distance between us, and the creature's movements—they all turned into blurred data, calculated in an instant, reflected in my mind.

This was something I hadn't experienced before, not before entering this nightmare of the apocalypse, or perhaps even before taking the Graystone.

Maybe Fujioka was right. I had a natural gift for shooting, far more than I ever had for close combat with an axe.

This sudden gift saved our lives.

The bolt plunged sharply into the creature's groin.

The vital area.

I couldn't see it clearly, but at the moment the creature screamed in agony, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Here! I'm here!"

The creature exploded in a fury, once again driven into madness by my taunting. Its patience and temper were not as great as I had thought. Perhaps in the confines of a building, its powerful body, silent movements, and electric abilities made it a deadly hunter. But here, on the open grass, it was more like a raging bull.

Even so, I was sure it would remember the voice that kept taunting it.

As expected, it charged toward me. I quickly retreated behind the rock and began climbing. When I reached the top, I heard the sound of arrows snapping as they broke under the weight of the creature. Its massive body lost balance and crashed into the rock, its long horns creating a hole in the surface. The force of the impact shook the rock, nearly throwing me off.

I steadied myself and fired a few more arrows. They hung from its tough hide like ornaments. The creature yelped in pain, struggling, and one of the arrows finally fell to the ground.

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Then came an unexpected surprise.

With a sharp crack, one of its horns snapped, the front half still lodged in the rock.

Totally unforeseen.

The creature's face twisted in agony, blood pouring from its face, and it turned to flee.

I dropped the crossbow and drew my revolver, shooting it squarely in the head.

This was the most important part of the plan. As the gunshot echoed, I silently prayed that luck would be on my side once more.

And it was.

The creature, already grievously wounded, took the last bullet to the head. Its mind seemed to cloud over.

It shook its head violently and once again slammed into the rock. Its side, the one where the axe had embedded, crashed against the stone.

Then, its head almost fell off.

The axe's recoil had severed its neck.

It was barely held together by a thin layer of skin, and the windpipe had definitely been cut.

Blood poured out, soaking the rock. The creature's body twitched and jerked.

I watched as everything unfolded as expected, and when the weight in my chest finally lifted, I felt the last of my energy drain away. I felt as if I had lost all strength, like my body had turned to jelly. Slowly, I slid down from the top of the rock, leaning against it as I exhaled the stale air. My brain seemed to freeze, unable to process any more thoughts.

About thirty seconds passed before I managed to stand up and step out from behind the rock.

The creature lay in a pool of blood. It couldn't scream or move anymore, but it wasn't dead just yet.

Recalling what happened with the Phantom Hound, I called out to the Diamond Mark.

"Information."

Knowledge flooded my mind.

Name: Horned Monster

Species: Demon Beast

Ability: Electric Shock

Rating: C

Status: Near death

As expected, the information only appeared when the creature was unable to resist.

This horned monster was a level higher than the Phantom Hound, with the added ability to discharge electricity. What puzzled me was that the Phantom Hound’s invisibility wasn’t listed under its abilities. Could this be related to the difference in species?

Having learned from the Phantom Hound’s resilience, I wasn’t surprised by the monster’s strong life force.

I kicked it a few times to ensure it could no longer fight back. Once I was certain, I stepped on its body, pulled the axe free, and stomped on its skull before slicing open its abdomen.

Its heart was located in its chest, but it didn’t look much like a "heart" in the traditional sense. Instead, it was a gray, walnut-sized crystal. Countless veins attached to it, pulsing faintly.

The crystal was polyhedral in shape, though irregular.

It looked a lot like Graystone.

I extended my left hand and began creating Graystone.

The creature’s body disintegrated into gray mist, which spiraled into the crystal, and when the mist had completely disappeared, the gray crystal appeared to have grown slightly larger.

This was the largest Graystone I had acquired so far.

I picked it up.

After a moment of silence, the usual loud banging against the iron gates became unnervingly sharp in the otherwise quiet night.

The disturbance in the air started again, creeping in from the trees in the distance, the grass beneath, and all those shadowy areas I couldn’t fully see.

Clang.

A metallic object hit the ground.

I scanned the surroundings, but saw nothing. However, the rustling of the grass became more erratic, and the sound of it wasn’t just from the wind.

I grabbed the crossbow and rushed toward Fujioka. The strange friction sounds grew rapidly. When I reached her and dragged her towards the building, the terrifying sounds multiplied, as if they were everywhere.

The source of the noise hadn’t appeared yet, but it was far more frightening than the horned monster.

I bent down and scooped Fujioka into my arms like a princess. Normally, I wouldn’t have been able to carry her—she was much heavier than I had imagined. The battle with the horned monster had drained much of my energy, but under the threat of some unknown creature, I found strength I didn’t know I had. Within moments, I was up the stairs, into the building, and I slammed the door shut, locking it securely.

I laid Fujioka down and pushed all the furniture I could find in front of the door.

In the sealed environment, I finally felt a slight sense of relief.

"What is it?" Fujioka whispered in the dark, almost like a groan.

"I didn’t see it."

"If we block the door, we’ll only have the window as an escape."

"They’re everywhere. No way out."

"It’s been a horrible night," Fujioka murmured, then fell silent.

I could only manage a bitter smile before I pressed the Graystone from the horned monster into her mouth.

"Get better soon, Fujioka."